


Sweet Dreams to All My Friends,  Know You Are Loved

by AngelWithAStory



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Brief Mention of Blood, Drabble Collection, First Kiss, Forehead Kisses, Friendship/Love, Multi, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-25
Updated: 2016-06-25
Packaged: 2018-07-18 06:20:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7303012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelWithAStory/pseuds/AngelWithAStory
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Keep was quiet. Relatively speaking, that is.<br/>Mostly, everyone was amusing themselves in small groups or working on something alone.</p><p>A night at Greyskull Keep</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sweet Dreams to All My Friends,  Know You Are Loved

**Author's Note:**

> canon-divergent sometime between the Briarwood arc and the Attack of the Chroma Conclave. I like to think that this universe came about if it was Vex that confessed to Keyleth under the Sun Tree. 
> 
> Just four snippets of what would happen on a quiet night. Slight warning for the mention of blood in the first bit, also mentions of canon deaths or near-deaths

The Keep was quiet. Relatively speaking, that is.

Mostly, everyone was amusing themselves in small groups or working on something alone. Well, the only one working alone was Percy in his workshop. A sketchbook was flipped open on one of the older pages as he inspected a design for an arrow that he’d come up with a good few months ago.

Several prototypes lay around his workbench, seemingly abandoned as Percy sat, hunched over one of his guns. Half-built bullets lay in a small pile to his left, also seemingly abandoned.

Percy’s overcoat was slung onto a low, sheeted bed in the corner of the room. Small patches of black powder stained the jacket and Percy tried to put the thought of having to dab out each individual stain out of his mind. It would be tedious but he knew that it had to be done. If his upbringing taught him anything, it was that a well put-together persona could get him anywhere and anything.

The grey ascot and lavender vest had long since been abandoned, folded haphazardly and placed on the foot of the bed to keep safe and relatively neat.

A stray tool on the workbench accidentally scratched against Percy’s forearm, snagging the shirt material. He swore softly and rolled up his sleeves up to his elbows with a huff. A thin trail of blood ran down his arm, a few drops finding their way onto the table. Percy glanced down at the tool and saw the thin spike he used for delicate work on his devices.

He swore again, less soft this time.

The drawers held nothing of use and a wound this small wasn’t worth bothering Pike over, so Percy just held the edges of the wound closed until it clotted. A stray image of the black smoke curling out from under his skin flittered over the forefront of his brain and Percy shut his eyes for a second, shaking away the thought.

He pulled the edge of his shirt out and found a clean bit of it to wipe off the excess blood. Instantly, Percy regretted it when he saw the scarlet in a stark contrast with the white.

That was going to be annoying to scrub out. He tucked his shirt back into his pants, making only a mental note to deal with _that_ stain later.

Percy sighed deeply, gently laying down his tools on the bench and rubbing his face. A small smear of oil appeared on his forehead as Percy rubbed at his temples, a small headache beginning to appear behind his eyes.

Tinkering couldn’t seem to capture his attention, and neither could designing more inventions to tinker with at a later date. He sat back in his chair and looked around his workshop. Months worth of half-baked ideas and small projects that ultimately got interrupted with monsters or demons or boredom or something else that Vox Machina had to deal with.

Percy stood up, abandoning yet another project as he left his workshop, making sure to lock it behind him.

He noticed the lack of noise as he walked and vaguely wondered if some of the party had gone into Emon. The door that had been to Tiberius’ room was slightly ajar and Percy couldn’t help but feel a stab of sadness. On impulse, he pushed the door open a bit more and stepped inside.

It looked untouched, just as Tiberius had left it, even with stray books and random pieces of paper strewn about on the floor that no one had picked up. Percy could see it. The last time they were all together in this room. The teleportation rune, the hugs and kind words, the tears that no one talked about.

Suddenly, Percy couldn’t stand to be in that room anymore. A hundred memories flitted through his mind and Percy forced himself to leave and to shut the door fully behind him. He remembered the taverns, the camps they built to last only a night, the spells, the shots, the bruises, the blood and the death. The rebirths and resurrections. Kneeling in temples or kneeling on cold floors, begging for some deity to help their friend, heal them, save them, give them life again.

He remembered laughter. He remembered laughing for the first time after being freed from his prison by this motley crew of people that could have killed him as easily as they saved him. He remembered laughing until his ribs hurt and that heavy feeling in his chest lifting. Just for a moment, but enough for him to remember the good in the world. To forget the pain and the arrows and the deed for his soul.

Percy walked down the hall.

Another door was open just before the stairs and Percy glanced inside, against himself. Scanlan was sat at a table, a tankard beside him and a piece of parchment laid out before him. He looked up and caught sight of Percy, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion.

“Hey, Percy. What are you doing up so late? Better question: what are you doing wandering about so late? I thought you would be asleep in your workshop.” Scanlan said, sitting up properly in his chair.

“What time is it?” Percy asked, rubbing the bridge of his nose under his glasses.

“Just past midnight.” Scanlan said. Percy just noticed that Scanlan had a quill in his hand and was playing with the feather in a distracted manner. “What brought you out of hiding?”

“Work wasn’t as distracting as it usually is, and I didn’t quite fancy being exposed to my lack of progress while I tried to fall asleep.” Percy admitted. “I was on my way to bed, but I saw a light in here.”

“Oh,” Scanlan glanced down at the parchment for a second. “Hey, Percy. You’re better with words than I am-”

“Bold claim.” Percy muttered, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

“Well, I _mean_ , you’re better at using all those _fancy_ words you use all the time. Can you help me with this letter I’m writing?” Scanlan asked.

“If this is about Pike, I hope realise that she’s just upstairs, you could talk to her right now-” Percy began, vaguely gesturing behind him.

“No, _no_ this isn’t about Pike.” Scanlan admitted. “I’m writing to Kaylie.”

Percy’s eyebrows shot up involuntarily but immediately took control of his features again, forcing himself to look more neutral.

“Kaylie? As in your daughter, Kaylie?” Percy repeated.

“Yes, my daughter. Can you help me?” Scanlan looked up at him with an imploring expression and Percy couldn’t bring himself to leave. As tired as he was, his friend was asking for help.

Percy walked forwards and pulled another chair forwards, sitting down next to Scanlan. The bard smiled at him and sat up properly again. Percy couldn’t help but notice that the legs of the chair Scanlan was sat on were much taller than the legs of his own, meaning they were almost level when Percy gently reached forwards for the parchment.

“Well, what have you got so far?” He asked, quickly reading the drying inked words.

***

Vex sat on the ground patiently, trying not to move her body as much as possible as she worked. Various parts for simple arrows were laid out on the earthen floor around her and Vex assembled them with incredible care and attention to detail.

Keyleth kneeled behind her, her hands taking locks of Vex’s hair and twisting them into an elabourate plait. Every so often, she would craft or pick a flower from the ground around them and twist its stem to make it part of the hairstyle.

Few words were spoken between them as they both just enjoyed the night around them. The stars above them looked like diamonds scattered on a dark cloth and just as precious. They both remembered the nights stuck inside the Underdark, or trapped in some godforsaken place that even the sun’s warmth couldn’t permeate. Nights like this were few and far between, so each one stuck out in their memory.

Eventually, Keyleth tied off Vex’s hair and leaned forwards, wrapping her arms around the other woman’s shoulders. Vex put her arrows aside and ran her hands up Keyleth’s bare arms.

“ _I like this_.” Keyleth whispered, her lips resting just above the skin of Vex’s neck. Vex couldn’t suppress the slight shiver and felt Keyleth’s smile.

“ _So do I_.” Vex said softly. She was weaponless, dressed in a simple tunic, all armour discarded and placed in her room for tomorrow. She was vulnerable, pulling down her defences just for one night while she watched the stars with a druid by her side.

Keyleth drew back, moving so she was lying down on the grass. She patted the grass beside her, looking up at Vex with a sly half-smile on her face. Vex smiled to herself as she lay down beside Keyleth.

Without hesitation, Keyleth wrapped her arms around Vex once again and pulled her so close they shared body heat. It wasn’t exactly _cold_ out in the Keep’s garden, but there was enough of a chill in the air to want that extra warmth.

Vex’s arm slowly wound around Keyleth’s waist, pulling her even closer. She wasn’t used to _this_. To being so intimate with someone that wasn’t just for a night. To being affectionate with someone in a way that marked them as more than a friend, more than family.

“Do you ever think about how close we all come to dying?” Keyleth asked, her voice almost too loud in the dead quiet of their breathing. “I mean, Pike’s died before. You almost died in the Ziggurat. Vax was almost killed by the Briarwoods. Whenever we leave the Keep, we’re always so close to dying.”

“Then let’s just stay here.” Vex said, giving Keyleth’s middle a light squeeze.

“You know what I mean.” Keyleth rolled her head to look Vex in the eye. She had a look in her eyes that aged her beyond her years. Something in them was _old_ ; like she’d seen a hundred worlds fall and rise again before her eyes. It must have been a trick of the light (or lack thereof), but Vex felt like she suddenly had a glimpse into who Keyleth could become.

“I do know what you mean,” Vex said. She suddenly lifted herself up on her elbow. The heavy plait fell over her shoulder and gently brushed against Keyleth’s skin. “But Keyleth, it’s what we do. We all chose this life, and any one of us could walk away if we wanted to. But we’re still here. And we’re still fighting. I can’t speak for the others, but I’d rather be here, with all of you, than anywhere else.”

“Vex, I don’t think I can bare to watch any of you get hurt again. I mean, what if one of us dies and we can’t do anything about it? What if we can’t get them to a healer in time, or-”

“Keyleth,” Vex said, dipping her head down so their faces were closer together. “You’ll drive yourself mad thinking like that.”

“But I can’t _stop_ thinking about it.” Keyleth’s arms wound around Vex’s waist, loosely holding her there. “I can’t lose any of you. I don’t want to lose any more family.”

Vex smiled and leaned down. She kissed Keyleth, their lips barely touching. It wasn’t anywhere near to _passionate_ , but to Vex it was always monumental. Keyleth’s arms tightened and she pulled Vex on top of her.

“You won’t lose us.” Vex said against her lips, so softly it was almost a whisper. “We’re too stubborn to die forever.”

“I better not.” Keyleth said, looking up at Vex with such honest eyes. There was pain in those eyes that Vex never wanted to see again. “I’ll keep you to that, Vex.”

“Oh, please do.” Vex teased, lowering her voice in just the right way for a light blush to creep across Keyleth’s features.

“That’s... cheating.” Keyleth burying her face in the crook of Vex’s neck, muffling her voice. Vex could feel her hot breath against her skin and tried to suppress the shiver.

“Hey Keyleth,” Vex said in a stage-whisper. She waited for Keyleth’s head to move away from her skin and for Keyleth’s gaze to meet hers. Vex winked.

“Oh that is _so_ cheating!” Keyleth exclaimed, not even bothering to keep her voice down. “Vex, the wink is cheating.”

“Oh, _darling_ ,” Vex’s voice dropped to a drawl as she carefully and deliberately placed her hands either side of Keyleth’s head. “You should know by now that I don’t play fair.”

Keyleth shivered and Vex couldn’t tell if it was from the chill in the air or from the tone in her voice.

Slowly, Vex placed her knees either of Keyleth’s hips and sat back so she was, essentially, trapping Keyleth underneath her. Keyleth’s blush deepened and Vex could hear her breath hitch. With a sly smirk, Vex reached up and unclipped the cloak from her shoulders.

Vex deftly rolled off of Keyleth so they were lying side by side, intertwining their legs and throwing the cloak over both of them. It settled over their bodies onto the grass and Keyleth blinked at Vex in surprise.

“You looked a little cold.” Vex said, pulling the druid closer under the cloak.

“Well I guess now you can warm me up.” Keyleth said, obviously trying her hand at being seductive. Vex couldn’t help but smile at the attempt. Keyleth was many things (beautiful, creative, strong, brave, kind, gentle, to say the least) but _seductive_ was not one of them.

“I’ll try my best.” Vex said, leaning closer and pressing another kiss on Keyleth’s lips. She felt Keyleth’s hands gently run up her shoulders, her neck and run through her hair as best they could. Vex’s hand settled on her bare knee beneath her dress, gently tracing circles as she wound her fingers up the other girl’s thigh. She could feel Keyleth’s fingers undoing their work and her hair falling heavy against the ground if it wasn’t being twisted to pull the two closer.

The kiss was hypnotic. It felt like a drug as Vex moved Keyleth’s legs to wrap around her tighter. Moments like this were too rare to pass up, after all.

***

Vax looked up expectantly at the knock on the door. He rose from where he had sat sharpening his blades. Jarett startled slightly when Vax opened his door, but recovered swiftly.

“Sorry, didn’t hear your footsteps.” Jarett said. His crossbow was hanging from his side and he noticed Vax’s gaze glance down to it.

“That’s fine,” Vax said, brushing off the apology. “What’s wrong, Jarett?”

“Nothing’s _wrong_ , but there’s a man at the front gate who says you were expecting him.” Jarett said, standing casually for the fact he was on duty.

“Did he leave a name?” Vax asked, keeping himself guarded but a small kernel of hope settled in his chest. Jarett’s lips quirked into a smile.

“Said his name was Shaun, sir.” Jarett said. He stepped to the side as Vax almost charged past him on the way to the front gate, smiling at the thank you Vax threw over his shoulder.

Vax slipped out the front doors of the Keep, sticking to the shadows out of a long-kept habit. The guards on top of the gate patrolled as usual, not noticing the Rogue until he forced himself to step out into the open.

He slipped through the barely open gates and took a few steps forwards. A figure was standing underneath a tree, smiling at him with a thousand-watt smile.

 _Gilmore_.

Gilmore was stood there, in his fancy robes and watching for _him_.

“Vax’ildan.” Gilmore said, saying his name like it was somehow more than a greeting. “I was beginning to think that you’d never show up.”

As soon as he was close enough, Gilmore wrapped his arms around Vax, lifting him up in a spinning hug. Vax laughed, letting his defences fall just a little bit. Gilmore always had that reaction from him.

“So, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Vax asked once his feet were safely on the ground again.

“What? I can’t visit my favourite Rogue and ask him to accompany me on a walk?” Gilmore said, extending his elbow out towards Vax, who just smiled and took it.

They began to walk back towards the town, nothing but the top layers of trees to cover them from the stars. A few idle words were swapped between them as they walked. No ‘ _dangerous_ ’ topics: Vax talked of the Winter’s Crest festival in Whitestone, Gilmore talked of a few strange customers and what had happened in Emon. Small anecdotes, safe from bad memories or untouched feelings.

Suddenly, Gilmore stopped in his tracks, dragging Vax to a halt as well. Vax was about to protest, when Gilmore’s hand touched his neck gingerly.

“What’s this?” His voice was light but Vax could hear the underlying concern as the fingers ghosted over the scars of the bitemark.

“It’s nothing-” Vax began, reaching up to brush away the other man’s hands. Gilmore’s hand shifted and twined his fingers between Vax’s. Their hands lowered between them, keeping them connected.

“Vax’ildan. I can tell when you’re lying.” He said, tilting his head just the slightest amount. Vax felt his throat close for a moment before he forced himself to breathe.

“Lord Briarwood… There was a formal dinner, and they were invited along with us. Percival had… Let’s say there was history between him and the Briarwoods. So we disguised him as me and I snuck off after the dinner. Well, for brevity’s sake, let’s just say that Lord Briarwood’s bite is worse than his bark.” Vax said, not looking at Gilmore. He found himself focusing intently on a fallen leaf, a small frown on his face as he recalled the story. Gilmore’s hand rested under Vax’s chin, very gently tilting his face so their eyes could meet.

“ _Vax_.” Gilmore whispered, removing his hand and resting it on Vax’s shoulder. His fingers brushed against Vax’s neck, barely there.

“Vampire bite.” Vax dropped his gaze as he spoke. He couldn’t bare to look Gilmore in the eye. “Lord Briarwood was a vampire and I was bitten. Don’t worry, we went to a temple and they said I’d be fine.”

“Oh, Vax’ildan.” Gilmore said.

Vax still focused on the leaf as he felt the neck of his tunic being pulled down and a very gentle kiss being placed where he knew the scar was. Heat rose up Vax’s face. His gaze snapped to Gilmore’s as his head pulled away from his throat.

Vax prayed to Sarenrae that it was too dark to tell how red his face was.

“That was significantly nicer than the bite.” Vax said, trying his hardest to keep his voice level.

“I hope there are many things nicer than being bitten by a vampire.” Gilmore quipped, coaxing a laugh out of Vax.

“And I know so few of them.” Vax said, carrying on the joking tone. He pretended to sound wistful, but he saw Gilmore’s eyes turn just a little sad. Instantly, he wanted to take it back.

“Vax’ildan, I have to be honest with you.” Gilmore said, gently taking both of Vax’s hands in his and holding them in the empty space between them. “Every time I hear you’ve left Emon, I’m afraid you won’t come back. You’re very dear to me, young Half-Elf; I’d hate for something to happen to you.”

“You should know me better than that, Shaun.” Vax said, taking one of his hands away and resting it on Gilmore’s cheek. “I’ve lived my whole life struggling to survive. It’s all I know, and I don’t plan on letting some damn blood sucker get the better on me again.”

Vax didn’t really have a moment to think before Gilmore was leaning forwards, kissing him softly, gently, _lovingly_. The kiss itself lasted for only a few seconds, but it was enough for Vax to have to pretend his knees weren’t weak.

“Sorry, I-” Gilmore began, pulling away from Vax. He had a small smile on his face but a sadness in his eyes when he finally opened them to look at Vax.

Vax didn’t give him a chance to take it back before he pulled Gilmore in for another kiss. This one wasn’t as soft and lasted significantly longer than the first, but it had all the same emotions, all the same words left unsaid. Gilmore’s hands gripped at the tunic, bunching up the material in his fists. He pulled them closer, giving in to his bravery just this once.

Once again, Gilmore was the one to break away first. He gave Vax a small smile, not like the smile he had on his face whenever anyone walked into his shop. More private than that. More sincere.

“I’ll wait for you, Vax’ildan.” Gilmore promised. “When you’re ready, I’ll be waiting for you.”

“ _Shaun_ ,” Vax’s voice held the tiniest bit of pain that had somehow crept up on him. “I got bitten by a vampire, we discovered a spinning orb of _death_ underneath Percy’s hometown and my sister almost _died_. If there’s one thing I’ve learned after all this, Gil, it’s that I don’t want to wait. If I wait, who knows when I’ll be braver than I am right now. I don’t want you to wait for me, because I’m right here.”

Gilmore was quiet for a moment and pulled Vax back in. He brushed his lips against Vax’s forehead, curling his arms around the other man’s waist. The hold was a brand of gentle that was only vaguely familiar to Vax.

“At some point, Vax’ildan, I want to hear all about that spinning orb of death, and Vex’ahlia’s _almost_ demise.” Gilmore said, his voice just a bit lower than usual. “But for tonight, why don’t we continue our walk?” He stepped back and extended his arm to Vax once again.

“Where would we go this fine night?” Vax asked, taking the arm and letting Gilmore lead him down the path once again.

“Just a walk around the town. Unless you had somewhere else in mind?” Gilmore turned and looked at Vax out of the corner of his eye. There was a small spark there, that for all Vax knew was actual magic.

“I have a few ideas, if you’re up for it.”

“For you? I’d give it a chance.” Gilmore’s smile grew just a little more charming and Vax leaned in closer to him. They didn’t speak much as they walked, content just to exist within the same space together, at least for tonight.

***

Pike heard the knock at her door and her first through was that it was just Scanlan wanting to talk. She rose from her dressing table, moving her hair so it hung loosely down her back. Her hair had grown in recent weeks and felt heavy for the first time in years. Soon she would have to cut it shorter, or find some other ways to keep her hair out of her face in a battle. Maybe Vex would be open to teaching her some Elven hair styles.

The knock sounded again as Pike neared the door and she opened it, an excuse already on the tip of her tongue. As Pike looked out, she quickly realised she had to draw her gaze up to look the person in the eye.

“Hey, little buddy.” Grog said. He looked down at Pike slightly nervously. “Are you busy?”

He looked oddly bare without his armour or his weapons on his back or at his side. Of course, he looked bare most of the time since he only wore trousers, but when they were all at the Keep and finally able to relax, all their guards were dropped.

“I was just going to do some reading. It’s been a while since we’ve have some _real_ rest, you know.” Pike said, stepping back so she wasn’t straining her neck so much to look her childhood friend in the eye. “What’s wrong, Grog?”

“I was just wondering… You know how I’m _really_ smart?” Grog started, his expression oddly sombre and vulnerable.

“Of course, Grog.” Pike said, not showing any hesitation.

“Well, I’m only really smart when it comes to fighting and remembering stuff. I- Pike, can you- Can you teach me how to read?” Grog suddenly adopted a nervous tone in his voice. Pike’s expression softened and she stepped to the side, letting Grog into her room.

“Of course, buddy. Come in, come in.” Pike said, walking over to a low bookshelf. Grog cautiously stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. He watched as Pike pulled out a leather-bound book and a few scrolls. She walked over and placed them on the floor, gesturing for Grog to sit.

Grog sat on the floor by her bed and leaning against it, his hands resting on the ground by his crossed legs. He watched as Pike rummaged through a few drawers in her room before pulling out something that looked like what Percy used in his sketchbook.

“Ah, here we go.” Pike said, sitting on the floor just in front of Grog’s knee and adjusting her nightgown around her so she was comfortable. She pulled one of the scrolls closer and began writing out the Common alphabet. Grog watched her with a curiosity. He knew those symbols: he’d seen the others making some of those symbols, or seeing them on signs outside buildings without really knowing what they meant.

As she wrote them, Pike said each character’s pronunciation. Grog tried to remember which sound belonged to which symbol. He remembered the few nights that Wilhand tried to teach Grog after learning that Grog was illiterate. A lot of the characters looked familiar when they were written separately; it wasn’t until they were all put together and curly that made them impossible to read.

“Now you try.” Pike said gently, holding out the pencil towards Grog. Gingerly, he reached out and took it. His grip was so light he almost dropped it, nervous that he would snap the pencil if he wasn’t careful.

Pike gently wrapped her hands around Grog’s, guiding it so the tip of the pencil rested on the page.

“Just copy what I did.” Pike said, not quite moving her hands away from his fist. Grog noticed how both of her hands couldn’t wrap around one of his.

Slowly, Grog moved the pencil. His brow furrowed and the tip of his tongue poked out of the corner of his mouth as he concentrated _hard_ on copying the characters underneath the ones that Pike wrote.

The lines were shaky and he almost snapped the pencil a few times, but he sat back with a proud look on his face when he was done. He glanced down at Pike and saw her look back at him with a wide smile on her face.

“Good job, buddy!” Pike praised.

“Should I do it again?” Grog asked, feeling an odd sense of pride in his chest. For him, this was close to a monument.

“Yeah! Do it again, underneath those.” Pike urged, shifting a bit closer to him.

Grog wrote out the alphabet several more times, filling up the scroll so much they had to turn it over to carry on. The lines grew smoother as Grog practiced the letters. He grew more confident and started speaking the sounds aloud, correcting himself with Pike’s guidance.

“I think I’m getting it, Pike.” Grog said. At some point he had leaned so close to the parchment than his shoulder was just above Pike’s head.

“Yeah you are, buddy. Next time we’ll do some short words.” Pike promised, pulling the scroll towards her.

“Next time?” Grog repeated, his confusion very clear in his voice. Pike shuffled around so she was facing him as she curled up the scroll.

“It’ll take a while to fully learn how to read and write, Grog. I’m sorry. But I’ll help! I’ll work with you for as long as it takes.” Pike promised, looking up at him with a smile on her face. “I’m really proud of you, buddy.”

“Why, thank you.” Grog said, gracefully nodding his head slightly as he held out the pencil to her. Pike suddenly paused in her actions and looked up at Grog.

“Hey Grog? You wanna read with me, buddy?” She asked, holding up the leather-bound book. Something about the book was familiar and Grog remembered seeing it in the home Pike grew up in. It was her grandfather’s.

“Yes. I would like that.” Grog said. Pike picked up the leather-bound book and asked him to hold it while she cleaned up. He looked down at the cover and traced his fingers over the embossed letters. He knew them individually, but he couldn’t quite string them into words yet.

Pike cleared away the scroll and pencil, looking over her shoulder at Grog looking down at the book with a curious look on his face. She walked over and took the book out of his hands, gently drawing his attention. Flicking open the well-worn book, Pike sat down on Grog’s knee and settled into him. Grog’s arms curled forwards unconsciously as Pike began reading one of the fairy tales she’d grown up hearing.

They’d sat like that a hundred times before, mostly in their youth. It was familiar and familial: Pike on his knee and Grog’s arms making sure she didn’t fall. Pike almost wished they were sat by a fire with her grandfather reading the newspaper in his chair opposite them. Like when they were younger.

Pike could feel Grog’s hand begin to gently toy with her hair. She barely paused in reading as he took a few locks and played with them; plaiting them or curling them around his finger. He was much gentler playing with Pike’s hair than he was at any other point in time. Maybe he was always terrified of hurting his best friend, or maybe he just knew how much stronger he was then this little Gnome that had taken him in and healed him. Maybe he just liked how Pike’s hair felt as he ran it over his war-calloused hands. Pike liked having her hair played with, so she wasn’t going to complain.

As she read, Grog could hear her voice growing more and more tired. He wondered just how late it was and how long she’d been teaching him. Eventually, Pike’s head drooped and Grog very carefully took the book from her, shutting it with one hand and placing it on the floor by his feet.

Grog shifted Pike so she was leaning against him properly, hooking one arm under her legs to support her. He unfolded his legs and used his free hand to hoist himself to his feet. Pike made a small huffing noise against his shoulder and Grog curled his other arm around her to make sure she didn’t fall. Very carefully, he laid Pike on her bed. Grog pulled the sheets over her, trying to jostle her as little as possible.

“ _Good night, little buddy_.” Grog said as quietly as he could, gently patting her shoulder.

He made to leave the room, overly cautious with his footfalls, but as he reached out towards the door he heard something. It was Pike’s voice, but it wasn’t a language he knew. He vaguely recognised it, but not enough to understand. There was as second of silence before another word was spoken. That one didn’t quite sound like Pike, but it was very pretty to listen to.

Still, he mouthed the sentence to himself as he left the room.

The door was silent as he shut it behind him, walking off towards his room for the night. He passed by a room with an open door and a light from within. Grog’s eyes were drawn to the figures of Scanlan and Percy sat together at a table. As he repeated the sentence again, he wondered if either of them could help.

Grog stepped up to the door and tapped his knuckles against the wood. Percy looked up first, frowning at him slightly behind his glasses.

“Yes, Grog?” Percy asked, sitting back in his chair from his hunched position. Scanlan looked up as well in surprise, moving one arm to subtly cover whatever was on the table.

“Erm, I was wondering, do either of you know what this means?” Grog asked, repeating the sentence. It didn’t sound the same as when Pike said it, but from the look on the other men’s faces, it was close enough.

“Well that first bit is Gnomish.” Scanlan said, pointing at Grog with the end of a quill in his hands. “It means ‘ _good night_ ’, but I don’t know what that last word was.” He glanced over at Percy, who had taken off his glasses and was slowly turning them by the arm around his closed fist. The hand that wasn’t holding his glasses was rubbing his chin in thought.

“Percy?” Grog asked, frowning very slightly at the look on Percy’s face. Percy straightened his back and slipped his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose.

“Celestial.” He said, running one hand through his white hair and shaking it out. “Your pronunciation’s horrible, but it’s the word for ‘ _brother_ ’.” Percy looked up at Grog with an unreadable expression. Grog nodded, chewing on that answer.

“Alright, thank you. I’m going to go to bed now.” Grog said, moving to leave.

“Wait, Grog,” Scanlan called out, “Why do you want to know?”

“Oh, Pike said it earlier. I was just wondering what it meant. Night.” Grog gave them a half-hearted wave as he left to sleep in his own bed until morning.  

**Author's Note:**

> Trivia: the book Pike is reading to Grog is that universe's version of the BFG because I had an amazing/terrible realisation today
> 
> also I am [queenmoggy](http://queenmoggy.tumblr.com/) on tumblr if you want to say hi <3


End file.
